7 Ways to Improve Your Mental Health

When people think of behavioral health, they often think of a mental health clinic and making appointments to meet with therapists and psychiatrists. There are certainly many providers in the behavioral health community that focus on therapy and helping people who are struggling with a variety of issues, but there is also much more than that.

 7 Ways to Improve Your Mental Health

Section: Do something you love every day.

Section: Surround yourself with good people.

Section: Avoid using drugs and alcohol.

Section: Learn how to manage stress.

Section: Start a gratitude journal.

Section: Connect with nature.

Section: Don't bottle up your emotions.

Takeaway: Taking care of your mental health can help you be happy, kind, and more successful in your daily life.Do something you love everyday

 Do something you love every day

A few years back, I came across an image that read:

To Keep Your Mental Health In Check: Do something you love every day.

I wasn't particularly stressed or upset at the time, but I realized it was a good reminder to include in my daily routine. It's now something I do as soon as I wake up in the morning, and it helps me to have a positive outlook on the day.

I recently went through some personal setbacks and found this advice to be particularly helpful. It's natural to want to isolate yourself from others when you're unhappy or down. However, allowing oneself to drown in sadness can have a bad impact on your mental health even more.

It's not about pretending you're happy when you're not; it's about focusing on the things that bring you joy and happiness and using them to lift your spirits in times of need.

 Surround yourself with good people

The people in our lives can have a huge impact on our mental health and well-being. Well-meaning family members, friends, neighbors, or work colleagues may be able to help you out, whether it’s by giving you a ride when your car is in the shop or sitting with you while you wait for the plumber.

But not all relationships are good for us. Some people may act as they care, but they only want something from us — like a place to stay or money to borrow — and don’t care about us as people. Other relationships may start healthy but turn toxic over time.

Harmful connections channel us, make us tragic, and even make us discouraged. They suck away at our self-worth and put a damper on our moods and energy levels. When we involve yourselves with toxic people, it is easy to get despondent in life.

To manage your psychological health, specialize in the positive individuals who cause you to feel good about yourself and challenge you to be the foremost expression of yourself.

Avoid using drugs and alcohol

Many people turn to drugs and alcohol when dealing with mental health issues, but this will only make things worse. It is important to find healthier ways to cope with your thoughts and feelings.

Keep up with regular physical activity.

Exercising is a great way to boost your mood, clear your mind, and improve your sleep by reducing stress. Schedule a time every day or week to go for a run, take a yoga class, or lift some weights.

Limit the time you spend via web-based media.

It's normal to go through hours looking through Facebook or Instagram channels while feeling discouraged. While it can be good to connect with others online, too much of it can lead to comparison and more negative thoughts. Set limits on how often you check your accounts and try reaching out in person when you need support.

 Learn how to manage stress

Stress is a normal part of life, but it can be overwhelming at times. Stress can affect your motivation to take care of yourself. It can stop you from sleeping, eating well, and exercising regularly. Overexposure to stress may even cause health problems. So learning how to manage stress is important for your overall well-being.

There are many different ways to get rid of stress, including:

Taking good care of yourself: This means eating healthy foods, getting enough sleep, and getting regular exercise.

Talking about your feelings: Talking with supportive family members or friends about your emotions can help you cope with stress.

Using relaxation techniques: There are several effective methods for relaxing the body, including breathing exercises and meditation, which help relieve tension in the body.

Setting aside some time each day for activities you enjoy: This will help you relax and recharge.

Start a gratitude journal

Gratitude is a powerful practice.  It can change your brain, making you more positive and resilient, and less depressed and anxious.

Gratitude can help keep you calm during stressful times and has been shown to decrease negative emotions like anger and envy. There's even research that shows grateful people are more satisfied with their lives, sleep better, have lower blood pressure, are more likely to exercise regularly, and make more progress toward achieving personal goals.

So how can you bring gratitude into your daily life? One way is to start a gratitude journal.

According to the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, gratitude journals "help us remember all of our good fortune, large or small," which in turn increases our positive emotions and leads to greater happiness.

Here's how to get started on your simple gratitude journal:

1. Get a notebook or journal that you'll use only for your gratitude practice. Make sure it's something you'll want to pick up every day — if it's a beautiful book or one that feels special in some way, all the better! And it should be small enough that you can easily carry it around with you. You might want to give your journal a title like "My Gratitude Journal."

Connect with nature

Stress, uneasiness, and gloom can negatively affect your life. These mental health conditions are the leading causes of disability in the U.S. and are associated with the risk of developing many chronic physical diseases, including heart disease and diabetes.

We asked our Mental Health Facebook community what they do to keep their mental health in check. Here's the advice they shared:

Do something creative (like coloring)." I like painting pages from adult coloring books," someone wrote. Coloring books for adults have been linked to reducing anxiety levels in numerous studies, including one published in March 2017 by researchers in South Korea. The study found that patients who underwent surgery for gastrointestinal cancer experienced less stress when they colored for 30 minutes before surgery compared to those who did not color before their procedure.

Listen to music. "Music is a huge part of my life," one person said, adding that it helps manage anxiety and improves moods.

 Don't bottle up your emotions

It is not for nothing that the phrase 'bottling up your emotions has become so well known. It is a pretty accurate description of what happens when we hold back our feelings.

The problem with this, however, is that it works like holding a carbonated drink in your hand: the more you suppress your emotions, the more they will become bottled up and pressurized inside you. And then, sooner or later, you will explode.

Mental health professionals have a name for this: emotional dysregulation - and it's one of the main causes of suicide.

One way to avoid this is to let yourself vent when you feel the need to, but it's important to turn to somebody you can trust - someone who won't judge or dismiss you and who won't share your information with others without your permission.

Takeaway: Taking care of your mental health can help you be happy, kind, and more successful in your daily life. Do something you love every day

  As with any of these tools and takeaways, if you think something is particularly helpful, great. If it’s not your particular cup of tea, that’s okay too. The takeaways aren’t intended to be all-inclusive solutions for every person--they’re simply a variety of experiences meant to start conversations about what works for people in a broad range of situations. What do you think? Does this make sense? What are some other ways to optimize your workflow or maintain your mental health? Let us know on the Internet! Have an amazing day